“When I look at the standings, I can’t believe it,” Corentin Horeau said. “It’s what you dream of as a sailor: making gains like this.” The IMOCA leader was reacting to a 170-mile-plus leap into the lead, seized by slipping through a transition zone north of the Azores just before it closed behind him, Le Figaro reported.
That breakaway headlined a fourth day of the Route du Rhum that began quietly. After three stormy days and nights that produced a string of mechanical failures and retirements — high-profile names more than high numbers, given the 115 boats that started Sunday from Saint-Malo — nothing new had been reported Wednesday morning on the race’s alert feed, according to the race-following journalists cited by Le Figaro. The only fresh casualty was announced Wednesday evening: Matthieu Perraut capsized in the Ocean Fifty class aboard Elvest.
A Calmer Night After Three Days of Breakages
The relative calm of the Tuesday-to-Wednesday night stood in contrast to the drama that preceded it. No new dismasting, capsizing or retirement had been signaled by Wednesday morning, and the fleet was making progress toward Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, the finish of the solo transatlantic race from Saint-Malo, France.
Ultim: Laperche Holds a Narrow Lead Over Le Cléac’h and Coville
In the Ultim class, the premier multihull division, Tom Laperche of SVR Lazartigue remained in front after leading since the Cap Fréhel, but his cushion over Armel Le Cléac’h of Banque Populaire XI had shrunk to roughly 20 miles after exceeding 70 miles the previous day. The chasing pack gained overnight in unstable winds.
Thomas Coville was also back in the hunt, trailing by about 18 miles at dawn and opting for a direct route that differed from his rivals’ choices. The defending champion, Charles Caudrelier of Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, had abandoned Tuesday late in the day and was heading home. One concern remained: Le Cléac’h was not visible on the tracking map Wednesday morning, raising the unconfirmed possibility of a technical problem aboard Banque Populaire XI.
IMOCA: Horeau’s Big Gain North of the Azores
Horeau, sailing MACSF and winner of the 2023 Solitaire du Figaro, capitalized on a weather window that shut behind him.
The 2023 Solitaire du Figaro winner now led the German Boris Herrmann (Malizia) and the Italian-American Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) by more than 170 miles.
Élodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner), fifth in the class, acknowledged the blow: “I knew you couldn’t dawdle to get through the front. It’s going to be hard to catch Corentin, even if nothing is lost, and the route to Pointe-à-Pitre remains long.”
The Stretch to Pointe-à-Pitre
With all four classes still racing and the Azores behind the leaders, the next official standings will show whether Horeau can defend his IMOCA lead and whether Laperche’s slim Ultim advantage survives the next weather system on the long sail to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
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